Viewing page 17 of 37

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

   -17-

   August 28, 1924. Spent the morning getting the things into the boat. Many small delays. Such delays and bothers are [[underlined]] coming on [[/underlined]] ^[[common]] in China and one of the worst bothers. A thief got into the compound where he probably thought I was, probably trying to steal the Smithsonian guns. I had taken the guns to the house where I slept.

   August 29, 1924. A very hard rainstorm and driving wind during the night. Reached Suifu about noon. Found many duties awaiting me. Cared for insects between other duties. Killed a large stork but it was poorly skinned.
   Bird No. 535.

   August 30, 1924. Conducted one marriage and two funerals and held interviews, and between acts packed 27 boxes of specimens for the Smithsonian Institution. These must still be sewed in sackcloth and labelled.

   August 31, 1924. Conducted another funeral. Slept most of the afternoon. Read some. This is the laziest day I have spent since leaving Suifu for Songpan.

   On Sept. 1st I had 47 boxes of specimens filled. There are two collectors at work on Mt. Omei, whose collections are yet to come in. Collector Ho has been working around Chegtu^[[,]] Kuanshien, and Behludin for four months and none of his specimens have yet arrived. The Songpan and the entire summer catch is bigger than last summer's catch.

   September 1, 1924. Packed all my specimens that are on hand excepting three mammal skins that were not well dried and the stork killed Friday. There are about 570 birds for the Smithsonian Institution. Rats partly spoiled a bird specimen, so I packed the rest in boxes.

   September 2, 1924. Practically spent all day wrapping the 48 boxes of specimens on hand. Spent the evening going over the Songpan account. Several letters from the U.S.A. and one from the Smithsonian Institution.

   September 3, 1924. Wrote several letters, looked after painters, labelled specimens of boxes. 

   September 4, 1924. Walked to Shin Tsang to conduct a wedding, 70 li. Killed six common birds. Hunted for rabbits or hares, but found none. Saw Beh Sou Chi where about 100 houses were swept away by the Yangtse in high water.